Old Woman Syndrome strikes….

Our plan was to head up the Erewash Canal today, taking 2 days to do the 12 miles and 14 locks to Northern Basin at Langley Mill, then turning around and coming back down again.
This particular canal runs through quite a built up area, being on the fringes of Nottingham, and has, in the past, had a reputation as “bandit country”, with youths targeting boats with abuse and missiles. This has changed now, things are apparently a lot quieter these days.
But it’s still half-term, and we’re rapidly approaching bonfire night. Boys and fireworks can make an unpopular combination, so we’ve decided to play it safe and head out down the Trent for the weekend. Call me an old woman if you want.

We had to turn around, so travelled just less than a mile to the winding hole in Long Eaton, before heading back and down Trent Lock onto the river again.

There are a couple of long established boatyards on the canal near the junction.

Mills Boatyard
And quite a few houseboats, too.

One along here is for sale, £135,000.

An unusual solution
Through Cranfleet Cut and Lock takes you back onto the river, with a 4¼ mile broad, winding cruise to the next artificial section starting at Beeston Lock.

Corbiere on the Trent
This bit was built to bypass the un-navigable river through West Bridgeford. It linked to the then existing Nottingham Canal at Lenton Chain, so called because the junction was chained off out of hours, to prevent unauthorised (non toll paying!) access to the canal.

Watching the boats go by on Beeston Cut …..
Lenton Chain, once the junction with the Nottingham Canal.

From Lenton Chain the Nottingham ran north-west to Langley Mill, linking up to the top of the Erewash and the bottom of the Cromford Canals. This section, and the Cromford, are closed.

There is still the remaining bit of the Nottingham though, running through the town below the castle to link up with river again below Trent Bridge.

Handy boat access to the Magistrates Court….

This is the through route, heading north, and the way we went, stopping for shopping at the canalside Sainsburys, then dropping down Castle and Meadow Lane Locks to the river.

Clear message on a building on the offside
But who would want to?
Meadow Lane Lock, back down onto the river
We turned right here, upstream, and moored below County Hall. There’re a few folk about, but I reckon it’ll be quiet later. We’re not the only boats here, it looks to be fairly popular.

Under Trent Bridge, the moorings on the steps just through the bridge.
Dog swap on the County Hall steps
Locks 5, miles 12.5